9. Lauren Scruggs

It’s been a year since 24-year-old fashion writer and editor Lauren Scruggs stepped off a plane and into a still-spinning propeller, an accident that cost her left hand and eye but spared her life. As the story of her accident and recovery was replayed in the media, Scruggs was determined to bounce back stronger than ever. She spent three months doing intensive therapy at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas. In February, she tweeted pictures from a vacation in the Rocky Mountains and returned to writing for her online publication, LOLO. By August, Scruggs was ready to give her first on-air interview, appearing at the London Olympics calm and happy and telling Today’s Savannah Guthrie, “I have kind of gained a new perspective of life, and I feel like I need to use my message of hope and healing to help others, [and] inspire others, just like people have inspired me.’’ She reportedly reached a seven-figure settlement with the plane’s insurance company over the accident. Scruggs also inked a book deal. Her autobiography, Still Lolo: A Spinning Propeller, a Horrific Accident, and a Family’s Journey of Hope, was released in mid-November.